The Health & Health Insurance of Gig Workers

Last registered on September 21, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Health & Health Insurance of Gig Workers
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019335
Initial registration date
September 14, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
September 21, 2026, 9:20 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Lisa Abraham
Affiliation
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
David Powell
PI Affiliation
University of Pennsylvani
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-07-01
End date
2028-07-01
Keywords
Health, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines the health status, health insurance coverage decisions, and employment preferences of gig workers compared to traditional employees in the United States.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Abraham, Lisa and David Powell. 2026. "The Health & Health Insurance of Gig Workers." AEA RCT Registry. September 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19335-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We will test two brief informational nudges embedded in a survey: one about possible low- or no-cost health insurance options among uninsured respondents, and one about the value of employer-linked benefits in traditional W-2 jobs among gig workers. Each nudge is randomized against a control condition that receives only a neutral transition statement.
Intervention Start Date
2026-09-21
Intervention End Date
2026-11-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
For the health insurance nudge, primary outcomes are interest in learning about health insurance options and plans to get health insurance within the next 3 months. For the job nudge, primary outcomes are likelihood of searching for a traditional W-2 job with benefits in the next 3 months and likelihood of spending at least 30 minutes searching or applying for such a job in the next month.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Health insurance interest is measured as a yes/no outcome. Plans to get insurance are measured on a 5-point scale and may also be coded as an indicator for “definitely” or “probably” yes. W-2 job-search outcomes are measured on 0–100 scales, recoded so higher values always indicate greater likelihood.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary outcomes for the health insurance nudge include which insurance option respondents would explore first, intended timing of Stride Health use, likelihood of visiting Stride Health later, link clicks, and time on screen.

Secondary outcomes for the W-2 job nudge include perceived difficulty of obtaining a W-2 job with benefits and, for the control group, stated preference for a W-2 job assuming one were available.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Insurance-option choice will be analyzed as a categorical outcome. Link clicks will be analyzed as a binary behavioral outcome, and time on screen as a continuous measure. Perceived difficulty is measured on a 0–100 scale, with higher values indicating greater perceived difficulty.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study consists of two individual-level randomized survey experiments. Uninsured respondents are randomized to a health insurance information treatment or control, and focal gig workers are independently randomized to a W-2 benefits information treatment or control.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is conducted by the survey software (using a computer) yielding 50/50 assignment.
Randomization Unit
Individual survey respondent. There are two independent individual-level randomizations: one among uninsured respondents and one among focal gig workers.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Not clustered. Clusters are individual respondents.
Sample size: planned number of observations
Health insurance experiment: 1000 uninsured respondents. W-2 job experiment: number of focal gig workers, ideally 500 respondents but depends on recruitment.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Treatment and Control groups are split 50/50 (equally)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
For the health insurance experiment with 1,000 respondents, the minimum detectable effect is approximately 0.18 standard deviations for continuous outcomes. For binary outcomes, using a conservative 50% control-group mean, the minimum detectable effect is approximately 8.9 percentage points. For the W-2 job-search experiment with 500 respondents, the minimum detectable effect is approximately 0.25 standard deviations for continuous outcomes. For binary outcomes, using a conservative 50% control-group mean, the minimum detectable effect is approximately 12.5 percentage points.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
RAND Human Subjects Protection Committee (HSPC)
IRB Approval Date
2026-07-27
IRB Approval Number
2026-N0241
Analysis Plan